Mercedes-Benz unveils Vision One-Eleven with innovative powertrain technology

Mercedes-Benz has unveiled the Vision One-Eleven, a retro-futuristic study equipped with an extremely powerful and highly efficient axial-flux motor developed by electric motor specialist YASA.

For those who do not know, YASA is a British electric-motor specialist based in Oxford and has been a 100-percent subsidiary of Mercedes-Benz since July 2021.

In a statement, the automotive brand revealed that the Mercedes-Benz Vision One-Eleven is fitted with two exceptionally powerful and advanced axial-flux motors as well as a new battery concept featuring high-performance liquid-cooled cylindrical cells with a novel cell chemistry.

No performance figures were released for the said powertrain setup but the German carmaker said that the company has “secured access to a unique future technology that has the potential to take electric mobility to a new level of performance.”

In addition, Mercedes-Benz is developing the said powertrain technology with YASA for large-scale production maturity for its next-generation electric drives.

“The Mercedes-Benz Vision One-Eleven combines breathtaking design with groundbreaking powertrain technology. Like its historical namesake, it explores new paths for the future of sporting performance. At the heart of the compact and extremely efficient powertrain is the innovative YASA axial-flux high-tech electric motor. It offers a motorsport-like power output from a considerably smaller package. Combined with the liquid-cooled cylindrical-cell battery with Formula-1-inspired cell chemistry, the Mercedes-Benz Vision One-Eleven is yet another proof point for the broad performance spectrum encompassed by our four-pronged development strategy for electric drive,” Mercedes-Benz Chief Technology Officer Markus Schäfer said.

When it comes to how it looks, the Mercedes-Benz Vision One-Eleven takes inspiration from the legendary C 111 experimental vehicles from the 1960s and 70s, which were used to test revolutionary Wankel and turbodiesel engines.

Centered on the Mercedes-Benz One-Bow design, the body of the Vision One-Eleven boasts a low-slung front end and muscular hind quarters. It also boasts flush-fit gullwing doors and large-diameter wheels.

Inside, the Mercedes-Benz Vision One-Eleven is both relaxed and sporty. In race mode, the Stuttgart-headquartered brand pointed out, the Vision One-Eleven offers upright seats and a compact driver-oriented touchscreen. Meanwhile, the seats fully integrate into the interior sculpture, which merges sills, center tunnel, and luggage compartment into a single unit when in lounge mode.

Additionally, occupants will find a thin pixel display screen that covers the span of the entire dashboard. Further, the pixel structure is intentionally coarse, which gives the information displayed a strikingly bold appearance.

“Our goal at Mercedes-Benz is not to do styling — our goal is to create icons. To me, that makes the difference between mainstream design and luxury. Design icons like the Type 300 SL and C 111 — both with gullwing doors — are part of our DNA. These legendary vehicles were major inspirations for the iconic design of the Mercedes-Benz Vision One-Eleven. This is beauty and the extraordinary united in one vision of the future. Our all-electric vision show car is the modern-day interpretation of the C 111, which was avant-garde at the time,” commented Mercedes-Benz Chief Design Officer Gorden Wagener.

Photos from Mercedes-Benz

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